The 1-4 New York Giants have their typical “why can’t we get out of our own way?” problems. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, who are 4-1, have rich people “why don’t we look better while we are winning?” problems.
The two teams meet Thursday night at MetLife Stadium. While Giants fans can offer no sympathy, we turned to Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Lee Gowton to find out about those rich people problems in this week’s ‘5 questions’ segment.
Ed: What is going on with the Philly offense? Points scored are down from 2024. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith don’t seem happy with their roles. Saquon Barkley is on pace for just 900 rushing yards. What gives?
BLG: I agree with Jalen Hurts that it’s not a “capability issue.” This offense can still look pretty good at times. But the Eagles also go through these prolonged stretches where the offense looks entirely hopeless. They’re among lead leaders in three-and-outs and over 20% of their drives this season have resulted in zero yards gained or fewer. It’s impossible to argue the offense is not underperforming their talent.
The 2024 Eagles had a clear identity. The 2025 Eagles haven’t been able to rely on the same formula that heavily relied upon Saquon Barkley. This isn’t because Barkley looks worn down. Rather, it’s the offensive line who seems to be majorly feeling the effects of a massive run game workload last season. On that note, check out this recent quote from starting left tackle Jordan Mailata via PHLY’s EJ Smith:
“To be really honest, I felt like [crap]. It was the worst I’ve ever felt in an offseason. Usually it takes maybe a week or two for the aches and pains to go away. It lasted well over a month and into OTAs. Even [the 2023 offseason after Super Bowl LVIII], that lasted like two weeks.”
Mailata seemed to be dealing with some nagging issues back in training camp. Lane Johnson has missed snaps this season. Landon Dickerson is expected to miss Thursday’s game and perhaps Week 7 as well after suffering another injury on top of the ones he already was dealing with. Cam Jurgens had offseason back surgery and recently suggested he’s not quite 100%. The healthiest offensive lineman is starting right guard Tyler Steen, who was a backup for the Eagles last year.
Even with the offensive line and running game not being what it was last year, the Eagles still have too much passing game talent to not be more effective than they’ve been. It’s perplexing how the offense has failed to get A.J. Brown more involved. One issue for the Eagles is that they’re seeing a lot more zone and Jalen Hurts is struggling against those coverages. He’s been very good against man defense.
Of course, it’s not just about the players. The coaching staff factors in here as well. New offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo has drawn a lot of ire from Philly fans. There are questions if he’s doing a good job as a first-time play-caller. I think people would like to believe it’s as simple as getting a new OC and that magically fix everything. But that’s probably not the reality. There are some offensive issues that predate Patullo in this offense. The common denominator that goes beyond him is Nick Sirianni as head coach and Hurts and quarterback.
All told, there are a number of issues here but I’m hardly ready to say they’re insurmountable. It’s possible this offense gets clicking at some point.
Ed: Nick Sirianni has one of the best winning percentages of all time, but the idea that he is a great coach gets scoffed at. And, I think it’s nonsense myself. So, finish this sentence and explain: Nick Sirianni is …..?
BLG: Pretty wild that he’s only behind Guy Chamberlin, John Madden, and Vince Lombardi.
I do think it’s fair to point out that correlation does not always equal causation. But it’s hard to separate Sirianni entirely from just how much winning this team has done since he’s got here.
To fill in the blank, I’m going to steal how I’ve seen some other writers describe him and say that “Nick Sirianni is … the right head coach for this team.”
I don’t know that Sirianni is as successful in other setups around the league. But this has been a really good structure for him. It’s not a head coach driven organization. It’s more of a general manager driven organization with Howie Roseman having a lot of power and acquiring a lot of high-level talent for the coaching staff to work with.
Sirianni is not always as aggressive as I would like him to be but he’s still more aggressive than a number of coaches who are total cowards (see: Sean McVay). He’s also fostered a good culture and positive vibes, for the most part.
That being said, I’m not totally thrilled with his performance so far this season. For all his preaching about how the Eagles need to “master the things that require no talent,” this team has lacked discipline with some really dumb and unnecessary penalties. The offense is also getting to the line of scrimmage and snapping the ball later than any other team by far, which is really weird and dumb that this is even an issue. In the bigger picture, these are nitpicks.
Ed: The Eagles added ex-Giants Azeez Ojulari and Adoree’ Jackson in free agency. It looks like Jackson was playing a fair amount before he got hurt. It doesn’t look like Ojulari has a role. What can you tell me about where either guy fits in Philly?
BLG: The Eagles seemingly signed Jackson to be a low bar for Kelee Ringo to clear in order to win the starting CB2 competition. Ringo failed to clear that bar, however, by struggling in training camp practices and preseason games. Jackson didn’t look good, either … but he lost the job less than Ringo did. And so the Eagles went with Jackson as their starting cornerback on the outside for the first few weeks. Teams unsurprisingly picked on him and had success doing so. Jackson then missed Week 4 due to a groin injury. Ringo played OK in his absence, though it was odd that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t even really go after him and instead targeted the much superior Quinyon Mitchell. With Jackson healthy enough to play in Week 5, the Eagles started Ringo on the outside again. Unlike the Bucs, the Denver Broncos were more willing to go after Ringo. There was a single snap late in the game where Jackson was on the field instead of Ringo. Not sure if that a benching or what. If so, maybe it’s Jackson who returns to the starting lineup this week. I tend to think it’ll be Ringo again … but he might not have a long leash if he struggles. We’ll see.
Ojulari was a healthy scratch as the seventh edge rusher on the depth chart to start the season. With Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo being placed on injured reserve, the Eagles finally made Ojulari active in Week 5. Maybe it was just a case of him having fresh legs but he looked good in his Eagles debut. Ojulari logged a TFL on his first snap and he later beat Garett Bolles to hit Bo Nix while the quarterback was throwing to force a third down incompletion. Ojulari tied Za’Darius Smith for the second-most snaps played by an Eagles edge rusher in Week 5, so, it seems like he does have a role now. Which is weird since he previously wasn’t even close to playing snaps at all.
Ed: My favorite question to ask (and least favorite to be asked): If you could take one player off the Giants’ roster and put him in Philly’s lineup, who would it be? Why?
BLG: I’m between Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns.
The Eagles really need pass rush help, especially after losing Nolan Smith for at least four games and maybe longer. The Eagles’ edge rushers have produced just 1.5 sacks this season … and they’re all from Za’Darius Smith. Adding Burns would help.
But Lawrence is also capable of rushing the passer and the Eagles have been leakier than expected against the run this year. Also, Jalen Carter is playing at less than 100% and the Eagles are counting on him to handle a major workload. The Birds could use more of a defensive tackle rotation with Lawrence in the mix. Adding him to the group of Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo would be fun.
If we’re going long-term focus, I’m obviously taking Eagles fan and Philly native Abdul Carter.
Ed: The NFL world at large thinks the Giants have no chance on Thursday night. And, they probably don’t. If they do shock the world with an upset of the Eagles what is the path? What can they take advantage of?
BLG: f I’m the Giants, I’m trying to pound the rock with Tyrone Tracy (assuming he plays) and Cam Skattebo until the Eagles prove they can stop it. Only seven NFL defenses have allowed more yards per rushing attempt. Maybe run Jaxson Dart a bit, too, assuming his hamstring issue doesn’t majorly deter his mobility. I’d avoid throwing towards Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean and instead look to go after CB2 (either Kelee Ringo or Adoree’ Jackson) again and again.
On defense, I’m dedicating more resources to coverage than to rushing the passer. Hurts has fared well against the blitz but has struggled when facing zone defense with four or fewer rushers coming his way. The Eagles’ offense could very well go into one of their prolonged funks where they can’t get anything going and get stuck going three-and-out over and over.
I don’t trust Brian Daboll to be aggressive but he really should be in this game when it comes to going for it on fourth down. He needs to give the Giants an edge for once.
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